The musical peak of both Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr Dre, Doggystyle will forever be used as the benchmark that all of West Coast hip hop is measured up to. A true landmark album, the release has somewhat been a gift and a curse for Snoop, with every release failing to capture its blunted heights and leaving many to wonder if Doggystyle was just lightning in a bottle.

Improving on his work on The Chronic, Dre’s (and whilst uncredited Dat Nigga Daz) production is faultless – providing impeccable blueprints for Snoop to architect his effortless, catchy flow. With a potent product bagged and ready for consumption, Snoop commissioned his cousin, Darryl ‘Joecool’ Daniel to lace Doggystyle with a cover artwork that would become as iconic and controversial as the music within.

“Snoop Dogg is my first cousin” notes Joecool. “I had just gotten out of prison and I was introduced to Dr. Dre by Snoop. Dre gave the go-ahead for me to draw the album [art]. I have always been a fan of NWA”. In terms of the artworks concept, Joecool notes “[It was] was Dre’s idea, Snoop wanted me to [bring that concept to life]. He wanted a cartoon on the inside so I obliged after smoking a few fat chronic joints”.

Juxtaposing the childlike innocence of Charles Schulz’ iconic cartoon character ‘Snoopy’ from Peanuts with the mature, explicit contents of George Clinton’s Atomic Dog, Joecool’s artwork sublimely complements the lyrical nature of the Doggystyle release. Not only littered with phrases from the song itself, the artistic vision of the artwork is also an homage to the animated characters featured within the Atomic Dog promo video. “For the Doggystyle cover, I used a combination of number 2 pencils and ink pens, on [a sheet of] blank art paper” reflects Darryl. While broad outlines and strong use of primary colors are the focal point of Joecool’s comic book style approach, he also sprinkles elements graffiti and airbrush art across the piece.

Due to the success of the album (debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 chat and selling over 4 million copies within months of its release) and the sexually suggestive behaviour of Joecool’s artwork, Doggystyle would be the catalyst for the moral panic and censorship debate that would plague hip hop for decades to come. Led by C. Delores Tucker, chair of the National Political Congress of Black Women, the album’s inner sleeve artwork was introduced as evidence at a 1994 hearing on Commerce, Competitiveness, and Consumer Protection in Washington D.C. – viewed as detrimental to both females and black communities.

As a rebuttal to Tucker’s concerns, it could be argued that Joecool (and Snoop) is a product of his environment and his art is merely a reflection of that. Furthermore – art, by its very nature, is meant to provoke discussion, if an individual is compelled to react to it (whether good or bad) then the artist has succeeded.

Unfortunately, another repercussion growing up in an environment marred by violence and drugs would take shape in the gang activity surrounding Joecool, Snoop and the Deathrow Records label. When asked whether gang affiliation (Snoop being a renowned Rolling 20 Crip member on a record label affiliated with The Mob Piru Bloods) had an impact on his working environment, Joecool reflects “yes with snoop murder trial and us being Cripping Cousins we constantly had to stay alert. Deathrow was a Blood Gang ran outfit. They didn’t like us . But they couldn’t fuck with us, because Snoop was the goose with the golden eggs. We didn’t like nor trust them muthafuckas either.”

Nearly a quarter of a century since leaving the pen to picking up the pen, Joecool concludes “ I feel good about having drawn Snoop’s cover, it has helped me get a ‘lil fame and some dope opportunities. But i feel like I should have been getting a percentage of the merchandise that was sold and bootlegged. Hall of Fame, Supreme, Neff and many others such as The Game [Joecool drew the cover art for The Game’s most recent album ‘1992’] showed me love. For Snoop, I am forever grateful, I need work to do from people who are willing to pay me what i’m worth! I do paintings now. But I still do freelance art work. Im not exclusive to no one.”

The pinnacle of West Coast G-funk hip-hop, Doggystyle will forever go down as one of the greatest debut releases in music history. Mirroring the work of his cousin Snoop, Joecool’s unforgettable introduction into the world of visual arts has help him establish a healthy career that shows no signs of slowing down nearly 25 years later.

Peace to Darryl ‘Joecool’ Daniel for helping out with this piece. Keep in touch with Joecool on his Facebook & Official pages.